Secondly, Though some precious souls that have closed with Christ, and embraced the gospel, be not at present brought to rest in their own consciences, but continue for a while under some dissatisfactions and troubles in tlicir own spirits, yet even then they have peace of conscience in a threefold respect; In precio, in j)ro7nisso, in semine. First, Every true believer hath peace of con- science in precio ; the gospel puts that price into his hand, which will assm-edlv purchase it, and that is the blood of Christ. We say tiiat is gold which is worth gold, which we may anywhere exchange for gold ; such is the blood of Christ ; it is peace of conscience, because the sold that hath this may exchange it for this. God himself cannot den^^ the poor creatiue that prays on these terms: Lord, give me peace of conscience ; here is Christ's blood, the price of it. That which could pay the debt, surely can procure the receipt. Peace of conscience is but a discharge under God's hand that the debt due to divine justice is fully paid. The blood of Christ hath done that the greater for the believer, it shall therefore do this the less. If there were such a rare potion that did infallibly procure health to every one that takes it, we might safely say, as soon as the sick man hath drunk it down, that he hath drunk his health : it is in him, though at present he doth not feel liimself to have it; in time it will appear. Secondly, In promisso. Every true believer hath peace of conscience in the promise, and that we count as good as ready money in the purse which we have sure bond for. Psa. xxix. 11 : 'The Lord will bless his people with peace.' He is resolved on it, and then who shall hinder it? It is worth your reading the whole j'salm, to see what weight the Lord gives to this sweet promise, for the encouragement of our faith in expecting the performance thereof. Nothing more hard to enter into the heart of a poor creature (when all is in an uproar in his bosom, and his conscience threatening nothing but fire and sword, wrath, vengeance from God for his sins,) than thoughts or hopes of peace and comfort. Now the psalm is spent in shewing what great things God can do, and that with no more trouble to himself than a word speaking. ' The voice of the Lord is powerful ; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty,' ver. 4. ' It breaks the cedars, it divides the flames, it shakes the wilderness, it makes the hinds to calve.' This God that doth all this promiseth to bless his people with peace, outward and inward ; for without this inward peace, though he might give them peace, yet could he never bless them with peace as he there undertakes. A sad peace, were it not, to have quiet streets, but cutting of throats in our houses ? yet infinitely more sad to have peace both in our streets and houses, but war and blood in our guilty consciences. Wliat peace can a poor creature taste or relish, while the sword of God's wrath lies at the throat of conscience? not peace with God himself Therefore Christ purchased peace of pardon, to obtain peace of conscience for his pardoned ones, and accordingly hath bequeathed it in the promise to them, ' Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you,' John xiv. 27. Where you see he is both the testtitor to leave, and the executor of his own will, to give out with his own hands what his love hath left believers ; so that there is no fear but his will shall be performed to the full, seeing him^;elf lives to see it done. Thirdly, In semine. Every believer hath tliis inward peace in the seed. ' Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart,' Psa. xcvii. 11. Where sown, but in the furrows of tlie believer's own bosom, when principles of grace and holiness were cast into it by the Spirit of God? Hence it is called ' the peaceable fruit of righteousness,' Heb. xii. 11. It shoots as naturally from holiness as any fruit in its kind doth from the seed proper to it. It is, indeed, most true, that this seed runs and ripens into this fruit sooner in some than it doth in others. This spiritual harvest comes not alike soon to all, no more than the other that is outward doth ; but here is the comfort, — whoever hath a seed-time of grace pass over his soul, shall have his harvest-time also of joy ; this law God hath bound himself to as strongly as for the other, which ' are not to cease while the earth remaineth,' Gen. viii. 22 ; yea, more strongly, for that was to the world in general, not to every particular coimtry, town, or field in these, which may want a harvest, and yet God keep his word ; but God cannot pei form his
gg2 THE GOSPEL OF PEACE.